The Income Tax department has issued a notice of Rs 1,823.08 crore to the Congress party, exacerbating its financial concerns ahead of the crucial 2024 Lok Sabha elections. This development follows the rejection of the party’s plea by the Delhi High Court, challenging reassessment proceedings for four assessment years. Ajay Maken, spokesperson of the Congress party, criticized the Income Tax department, referring to the notice as a premeditated and diabolical campaign against Congress. Maken stated that the party has received notices dating back to 1993-94 and has been demanded to pay a total of Rs 1,823 crores. Maken further accused the BJP of violating the same parameters they used to analyze Congress’ violations and highlighted that the BJP has a penalty of Rs 4,600 crore. The Congress party now awaits reassessment for three other assessment years, with the deadline set for Sunday. The party expressed disappointment with receiving the demand notice without assessment orders and accused the government of strangling them financially. The Delhi High Court dismissed petitions filed by the Congress challenging the initiation of tax reassessment proceedings, stating that there was substantial evidence warranting further scrutiny. The tax department alleged that approximately Rs 520 crore had evaded assessment during assessment years 2014-15 to 2016-17. The department also uncovered cash transactions involving Congress during searches conducted on entities. These transactions were cited as violations, disqualifying the party from tax exemption available to political parties. In the absence of exemption, parties are treated as an “association of persons” and are obligated to pay taxes on their reported income, including cash transactions.